Source: time.com - Wednesday, April 01, 2015
Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, but the seasonal chocolate eggs and the bunny who delivers them are nowhere to be found in scripture. The exact origins of the Easter bunny are clouded in mystery. One theory is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre—a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding, have traditionally symbolized fertility. Eggs are also representative of new life, and it’s believed that decorating eggs for Easter dates back to the 13th century. Hundreds of years ago, churches had their congregations abstain from eggs during Lent, allowing them to be consumed again on Easter. According to History.com, in the 19th century Russian high society started exchanging ornately decorated eggs—even jewel encrusted—on Easter. But how did the Easter Bunny begin delivering eggs on American shores? According to History.com , the theory with the most evidence is that the floppy-eared bearer of candy came over with German immigrants: According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the U.S. and the fabled rabb
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Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, but the seasonal chocolate eggs and the bunny who delivers them are nowhere to be found in scripture. The exact origins of the Easter bunny are clouded in mystery. One theory is that the symbol of the rabbit stems from pagan tradition, specifically the festival of Eostre—a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. Rabbits, known for their energetic breeding, have traditionally symbolized fertility. Eggs are also representative of new life, and it’s believed that decorating eggs for Easter dates back to the 13th century. Hundreds of years ago, churches had their congregations abstain from eggs during Lent, allowing them to be consumed again on Easter. According to History.com, in the 19th century Russian high society started exchanging ornately decorated eggs—even jewel encrusted—on Easter. But how did the Easter Bunny begin delivering eggs on American shores? According to History.com , the theory with the most evidence is that the floppy-eared bearer of candy came over with German immigrants: According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the U.S. and the fabled rabb
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Activists and lawmakers recovering from this year's Albany budget dance don't need to be reminded of what made this year different than the past six: the more than $5 billion dollar surplus powered by settlements with the financial industry. But as the next phase of the 2015 legislative session is set to begin, and Governor Cuomo continues to lead New York towards an agenda crafted and funded by anti-union hedge fund tycoons, the political debate has glossed over the connection between this multi-billion dollar surplus and the interests behind the right-wing education push. So I'll put it bluntly: The same special interests that New York State collected over $4 billion dollars from in the last year alone for bad behavior like tax evasion, illegally trading with Iran, and delaying life insurance payments to grieving families now want to tell us how to run our school system. And they're on track to spend record-breaking amounts of money on lobbying and campaign contributions to do so. But the similarities between Wall Street's ethical lapses and its approach to education don't end there: Financial institutions used to "redline" communities of color, denying us access to credit for purchasing homes or starting businesses. Then they realized we were the perfect target for predatory lending that would eventually make the U.S. economy crash and burn. Sound familiar to anyone following the education debate in Albany? New York State gove
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Leading Off : • IN-Gov : Republican incumbent Mike Pence hasn't exactly had the smoothest few days of his career, and his 2012 Democratic opponent sounds ready to pounce. Former state House Speaker John Gregg has been talking about seeking a rematch for a while, and his old campaign site now promises "[b]ig news is just around the corner!" And Gregg himself told the National Journal that the firestorm over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act has made him more likely to run , saying, "I was considering it, and this has only heightened my consideration of it." Gregg also says that business people and moderate Republicans angry at Pence's decision to sign the bill have been encouraging him to oppose the governor next year. A November poll gave Pence an intimidating 62-24 approval rating . But with Pence taking flack from all sides over the RFRA, it's no surprise that Democrats smell blood. Gregg lost the 2012 race by a surprisingly narrow 50-47 margin, and the governor hasn't exactly displayed sharp political instincts recently. Of course, it won't be easy to unseat a Republican incumbent in a conservative state (assuming Pence doesn't surprise us all and run for president instead of for re-election), and there will be plenty of time for Pence to put this whole matter behind him. But Gregg proved to be a tough candidate last time, and he'll have a better chance than almost any Hoosier Democrat of beating Pe
Oh great, it is April Fools' Day again. We started making an April Fools' Day roundup for all the pranks all over the web, then we realized that Google let the dogs out. They let ALL the dogs out. They've made so many pranks that we had to make a round-up of pranks for this day just for them. Look … Continue reading
Foreign Ministry says AIIB membership would open up opportunities to integrate Israeli companies into infrastructure projects it financed.
You may have heard that things are getting tense over in Indiana as Governor Mike Pence tries to defend his anti-gay “religious freedom” law without contradicting himself. His strategy? Avoid a simple “yes or no” question for more than 10 minutes. A state pizza shop, however, tried to use the controversy to gin up business by telling reporters that, while they won’t deny service to a gay couple or members of another religion, they will reserve the right to refuse to cater a gay wedding…with their crappy pizza. Kevin O’Connor , whose family runs Memories Pizza of Walkerton, Indiana, made a shameless ploy for attention in seeking out the local ABC affiliate to let the world know that his business is totally anti-gay: “That lifestyle is something they choose. I choose to be heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head to go along with something they choose?” Qualifiers aside, it’s hard to get more homophobic than that statement. Of course O’Connor’s wife and daughter tried to downplay it by telling ABC that they will gladly serve LGBT customers — after letting the world know how much they disapprove of “that lifestyle.” Did the stunt work? Sort of! Here are some reviews posted on the business’s Yelp page over the past 24 hours: Few if any of those writing have actually visited Memories Pizza. But one reviewer explains the logic behind his decision: Will Memories have to close? Probably not. But if i